6 Ways to Email Surveys and Stay Compliant with CASL Using FluidSurveys

The Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) came into effect on July 1st, causing a major stir in companies and industries that depend on mass emails as a form of communication to their customers. Of course, it could be argued that no industry is more affected by these new regulations than online surveying, which relies heavily on email lists to gather responses and collect data. To address CASL and its impact on surveying, FluidSurveys recently hosted an informative webinar called, “How the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) will Affect Email Surveys.” Today we will be going over a six point check list to ensure your surveys’ email invites are compliant with CASL.

1) Place a clear and operational unsubscribe option on the email
An unsubscribe option allows your contacts to indicate that they do not want to be contacted anymore. This is one of the most important gauges for being CASL compliant. Learn how the unsubscribe option appears and is added by clicking here.
In the FluidSurveys Invite Tool, the unsubscribe button provides a duel function. First, when a contact unsubscribes from your list, the tool automatically filters that person’s email address out for all future survey or reminder emails that are sent. Second, if a new list of contacts is uploaded to your account and it includes unsubscribed emails, FluidSurveys will recognize that email and automatically remove them from any invite you send.
TIP: Never delete a contact that has unsubscribed from your email invites. FluidSurveys will not be able to recognize an unsubscribed email if it is deleted and then uploaded again for another contact list.

2) Specify your subject and sender line to be honest and not misleading
Honesty is key when complying with CASL. With the FluidSurveys invite tool you can customize your subject header and sender line to be whatever you desire. Sometimes it is tempting to create a subject that is more attractive than accurate, but this can lead to a red flag from CASL. Be truthful about who the survey is from and for what purpose and you’ll be safe from scrutiny.

3) Include your current contact information
Including your contact information in your message or on the footer gives your mass email more credibility. Now your contact list can get in touch with you if they have any concerns or comments beyond your survey. This allows for a two way conversation as opposed to a one way spamming.

4) Add a hyperlink to your webpage
Including contact information is great, but a link to your webpage can also increase your credibility. Supply links in your message or footer to important pages about your organization and any affiliate companies the survey is meant for. This will give your contacts a chance to check out your organization and judge for themselves whether they want to get involved.

5) Make use of reminder and history logs to keep track of your sent emails
The FluidSurveys Reminders/history logs lets you keep track of when you first emailed an individual, the frequency of emails sent, and whether or not they have unsubscribed. This will be an invaluable in the case you do get audited by CASL and need proof that you are meeting the timelines of emailing appropriate to your study and contact list.

6) Create an explicit consent contact list
If you plan on sending regular surveys and content to the same email list, it would be in your best interest to get explicit consent from your contacts. Explicit consent means that the contact knows who you are, who will be emailing them, and what content will be sent.
By creating and sending a consent form from your FluidSurveys account to your email list, you can achieve explicit consent contacts. Then, you can feel confident when sending you’re this group scheduled survey invites and content.

Ready to Start Surveying?

Now that you know the ins and outs of CASL compliance, it’s time to send out those surveys! Don’t have an account yet? Visit our pricing page and set your survey project in motion today. If you’re looking for more information on how CASL is affecting online surveys and mass emailing, check out our webinar where we go over all the facts you need to know!